Each new row of houses tailed on its drains to those of its neighbours, without any inquiry being made as to whether they were on the same level or not.

Origin

Old Englishtæg(e)l, from a Germanic base meaning 'hair, hairy tail'; related to Middle Low Germantagel 'twisted whip, rope's end'. The early sense of the verb (early 16th century) was 'fasten to the back of something'.

The base of the Old English word tail meant ‘hair’ or ‘hairy tail’. The opposite side of a coin to heads has been tails since the 1680s or thereabouts—it is so called because it is the ‘reverse’ or ‘rear’ of the main or front side. A dog's tail is a good indicator of its mood, and this has given us various expressions. Someone who appears ashamed or dejected has been described since the Middle Ages as having their tail between their legs. Alternatively, someone with their tail up is in a confident or cheerful mood. Sometimes the usual roles in an organization are reversed, and a less important part dictates what is going to happen. When that occurs, someone may comment that the tail is wagging the dog. As a verb (early 16th century) the original sense was ‘fasten to the back of something’, with the meaning ‘follow closely’ developing from this at the beginning of the 20th century.

with one's tail between one's legs

Proponents of this philosophy tend to ignore the fact that for every successful convert in the fields of play or coaching, there have been nine who scuttled back to rugby league with their tail between their legs.

At worst they would be stripped of their titles and prize money, banned from future competitions, and sent home with their tail between their legs.

Origin

The base of the Old English word tail meant ‘hair’ or ‘hairy tail’. The opposite side of a coin to heads has been tails since the 1680s or thereabouts—it is so called because it is the ‘reverse’ or ‘rear’ of the main or front side. A dog's tail is a good indicator of its mood, and this has given us various expressions. Someone who appears ashamed or dejected has been described since the Middle Ages as having their tail between their legs. Alternatively, someone with their tail up is in a confident or cheerful mood. Sometimes the usual roles in an organization are reversed, and a less important part dictates what is going to happen. When that occurs, someone may comment that the tail is wagging the dog. As a verb (early 16th century) the original sense was ‘fasten to the back of something’, with the meaning ‘follow closely’ developing from this at the beginning of the 20th century.